Mechanical musical instrument.



UNITED STATES rATENT ormoni.

JOHN A. WESER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. ELSIE L. WESER, ADMIN ISTRATRIX OF SAID JOHN ALBERT'WESER, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR T0 WESER BROS., INC., 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL IN STRUMEN T.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Application filed January 3, 1917. Serial No. 140,438.

To aZZ lwhom Z may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN A. VVEsER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan of the city of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to mechanical musical instruments and is concerned particularly with the devices for actuating the wind-on roll and the carrier roll and the mechanism for controlling these devices.

The invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which- Figure l is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of Winding and rewinding devices embodying the present invention and showing the clutch of the wind-on roll in operative relation to its driven member.

Fig. 2 is a view similar' to Fig. l, but showing the clutch of the wind-on roll dis engaged and the clutch for the carrying roll engaged.

Fig. 3 is a view in section taken on the plane indicated 4by the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows, the brakes for the wind-on roll and the carrying roll, respectively, being shown clearly.

Fig. l is a detail view in side elevation of the single controlling lever for the clutch and brakes shown in the other figures.

In Fig. l a fragment of the tracker box is shown at a, the supporting shaft for the carrier roll is indicated at b and the supporting shaft for the wind-on roll is indi cated at c. These shafts are journaled in a suitable frame Z cast integral and serving as a support for all of the elements which coperate to bring about the winding and rewinding of the music sheet, as will appear from Fig. 2. On the shaft o and within the frame cZ is lixedly mounted a collar e adapted to be held in place by a set screw c passing radially therethrough. The collar or clutch member e carries a spring-pressed clutch pin e2, the end of which projects' beyond the side face of the collar and is ladapted to enter into recesses f formed in the proximate face of a clutch sleeve f which is slidably mounted on the shaft 0. Thesleeve 7 carries a spur gear f2 which meshes with a driving pinion g fixed on a stub shaft g, which is also j ournaled in the frame CZ and may receive its power from any available source, as through a sprocket g2 and chain g3 (the latter being indicated in dotted lines). It should be noted that the teeth of the pinion g are relatively elongated so as to permit the gear f2 to be slid longitudinally thereof without becoming disengaged.

Referring now to the shaft b for the carrier roll it will be evident that the coperating' clutch elements E and F with the pins E2 and recesses F provided oir the proximate faces of these elements, respectively, are substantially like the elements e and 7C, already described. However, a slight modification in the means for driving the shaft Z) by the power shaft g', as during rewinding of the music sheet, is made. For instance, the sliding clutch sleeve F is formed with a sprocket F2, engaged by a chain it which is in driving engagement with a sprocket g4 formed on the hub of the pinion g. The tension of this chain Zt may be maintained automatically by an idler sprocket z' carried loosely on a hinged arm Z: which is also journaled in the frame (Z. A. spring for pressing the idler sprocket i against the chain ZL is mounted on the frame Z and is indicated by the reference character k. The frame CZ also carries a suitable bearing plate Z for spring brakes Z, the braking surfaces of which may be formed of any usual wear resisting material, such as strips of leather, indicated at Z2, and arranged to coperate respectively with the peripheries of the clutch collars e and E. On the supporting plate yZ for the brakes Z2 is pivotally mounted, as at m, a clutch lever n, on the faces of which are fixed the studs n and n2 adapted to engage annular grooves f3 and F3, respectively, formed in the clutch sleeves 7 and F. On one edge of the clutch lever n are secured beveled pins n3 and at, the beveled or conical faces of which are operatively disposed vvithrespect to the brake springs Z so that when the lever'n is rocked about its pivotal support m, one or the other of the beveled pins n3 or n4 engagesone of the brake springs Z and moves itsfbralkev slice Z2 out of engagement with one or the other of the clutch collars e, E, as the case may be. The means for rocking the lever n about its pivotal support m is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as comprising a rod o which may be reciprocated manually or otherwise to initiate operation of the wind-on roll or the rewinding roll, as is now the general practice.

In operation, assuming that the carrier roll has been placedwithin the tracker box and has one end supported on the shaft b and the music sheet has had its end engaged with the wind-on roll, one end of which will be journaled on the shaft c, and that it is desired to play the composition on the sheet, the controlling-rod 0 will be moved to rock theV lower end of the lever a and slide the recesses f in the clutch sleeve f vinto engagement with the pins c2 on the clutch collar e. This movement of the lever a will move the beveled pin a3 into engagement with thc lower brake spring Z, as indicated in Fig. 3, and 'thereby release the brake shoe Z2 from its engagement vwith the periphery of the clutch collar e. rl`he accompanying movement of the upper end of the lever n will serve to draw the bevel pin n4 out of engagement with the brake spring Z thereby permitting the upper brake shoe Z2 to resume its engagement with the clutch collar E, and the clutch sleeve F will be slid along the shaft Zi out of engagement with the clutch collar. If the power is then applied to the actuating shaft g, through the chain g3 and sprocket g2, the wind-on roll will be rotated by reason of the engagement of the pinion g with the gear f2 and the engagement of the clutch elements, as beforedescribed. The clutch sleeve F on the shaft b of the carrier roll will be rotated idly on the shaft and no power will be applied to the carrier roll. To the contrary, lthe carrier roll will be rotated as the-music sheet is drawn therefrom, againstfthebraking action of the upper shoe Z2.l After the composition has been rendered, the sheet may be rewound on to the carrier roll by manipulating the rod 0y in such manner as to rock the lever n and draw the lower clutchsleeve f out of engagement with the clutch collar @,release theflower brakev shoe Z2 so that it engages the'clutch collar e, and simultaneously move the upper beveled pin n4 against the spring brake Z so as to release the shoe Z2 from its engagement with the' clutch collar E and move the .clutch sleeve F1 into engagement with. the clutch collar E. From Fig. 2 it will be observed""that this sliding movement of the collar VF serves to move the sprocket F2 out of alinement with the sprocket g4, but the slack in the chain h and the slant thereof is always compensated for by the spring pressed idler c'.

From the above description it is thought that the improved features of the wind-on and rewinding devices will be fully appreciated and that their simplicity of construction, cheapness of manufacture and certainty of operation will constitute a marked improvement in the art.

Mechanical changes of the parts and rcarrangements thereof may be made by those skilled in Jthe art, but all such changes and rearrangements are to be deemed within the spirit of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: Y 1. In a mechanical musical instrument, winding and rewinding devices, 'comprising shafts for the carrier roll and the wind-on roll respectively, clutch elements carried on said shafts, said clutch elements including sliding sleeves, Va gear carried on one of the sliding sleeves, a sprocket carried on the other sliding sleeve, an elongated power pinion in mesh vwith the said gear, a sprocket formed on the hub of said pinion, a chain operatively connecting `the first named sprocket with the last named sprocket, an idler engaging said chain, and a springpressed arm on which the idler is mounted, whereby the tension of the chain is maintained regardless of the position of the first named sprocket with respect to the second named sprocket.

2. In a mechanical musical instrument, winding and rewinding devices including two sprocket wheels, a chain engaging said wheels, a sliding transmission gear, an elongated ninion with which the gear is engaged in all positions, two clutches each including collars and pins on one of said collars to engage recesses in the other of said collars, a straight brake spring in operative relation with the driven clutch members and a straight, pivoted reversing bar in operativo relation with thesliding gear, the driving clutch members and the brake spring wherebythe direction of rotation of the wheels may be changed without disengaging said gears.

This specification signed this thirtieth day 0f December 1916.

' v 'JOHN A.

Copies of this ypatent may be obtained. for ve cents cach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' v j .Washingtmn C. 

